Vengeance
by Merlinfan26
Summary: Kevin comes home to find his wife and baby girl dead. He also becomes the prime suspect. Now the team must help one of their own from becoming falsly accused. Meanwhile Esposito tries to keep Kevin safe as he hunts down the people who killed his family. Rated T for dark themes.
1. Chapter 1

**Yes, I know I am twisted-but I could not get this story out of my head**

**Prologue **

It was when Kevin opened the door that he had sensed something was wrong. There were no noises. Around dinnertime Jenny was normally feeding Sarah Grace by then. Most of the time he'd enter the room listening to babblings of his daughter, and his wife talking to her.

But now it was utter silence.

"Hello? Jenny?" He called tentavily. He stepped forward, and felt a crack under his show. Broken glass. His eyes widened at what that could mean.

"Jenny?!" He said a little louder. "Sarah?" He looked down on the ground as he turned. Towards the kitchen he saw a trail of blood.

His face paled.

_No, no, no! _He slowly tried to compose himself as he walked to the kitchen.

The sight made he rench, and collapse.

For there in front of him laid his now deceased wife, and daughter...

* * *

><p>Beckett looked up as Gates called her name<p>

"Yes, sir?"

"We got a 911 call. There's been a murder downtown. A mother and a baby."

Beckett closed her eyes.

"Those are always the worst," she sighed. Castle shook his head.

"I can't even begin to imagine..." He trailed off as Gates handed him the address. "Hang on." Both looked at each other. Their expressions filled with horror.

"That's...that's Ryan's address..." Beckett's voice trailed off as she glanced at it, and then Rick again. "You don't think...oh my God, mother and baby...not...Jenny and Sarah Grace?!"

Gates own eyes widened at the realization, and Castle's face turned ashen.

"I think I'm going to be sick," he mumbled.

Kate then noticed Esposito headed towards their way, and she groaned.

"Hey, guys, what's up?" Javier asked, and frowned at their expression. "Jesus, who died?" More silence.

"I think you're going to want to sit down, for this, Javi," Beckett told him gently. He stared at her, more concern in his eyes.

"No thanks, i'll stand. What do you need to tell me?"

"There's been a murder at this address." Kate handed him the paper. Esposito stared at it.

"Wait a minute...that's Kevin's...no, you're not saying that Kevin..."

"No, Kevin is still alive," Kate quickly interrupted.

Esposito let out a shaky breath.

"Thank God..." but then he continued to stare at the paper ."Wait, if Kevin's all right then who...not Jenny..."

This time it was Castle to close his eyes in dismay.

"No," whispered Javier. "Jenny...shit...and Sarah's all right, right?"

More silence.

"No, no way..don't..." Esposito shook his head violently. "You are NOT telling me my best friend's wife and little girl are..."A hand was placed over his mouth, and Kate scooted a chair behind him. He collapsed on it. His face was frozen with a horrified look on his face. "Kate, please...tell me that they got the wrong address."

"I wish I could, Javi." Kate grasped his hand, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Dear God, so do I," Gates added, her own voice shaking.

"Come on." Kate pulled her friend off of the chair. "We need to go over there, Kevin's going to need us now more than ever.

Somberly the three of them left, wishing that things were different. Wishing that this was just a nightmare, and that they would be able to wake up.

**Should I continue?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for all the reviews! I hope everyone's in character! Still knew to writing Castle fic.**

**Chapter 1 **

The three of them arrived at Kevin's apartment as quickly as possible.

Beckett felt afraid at what she would find in there. She had dealt with many cases like this one, but none involving her own friends. No, correction, her own family. She swallowed as she opened the door. Laine was already there, along with half a dozen cops.   
><span>

"Wait, these aren't our guys." Javier scanned the room, sharply. "What the hell are they doing here?"

"Javi!" Laine ran to him, tears rolling down her eyes. She glanced at Beckett. Kate grabbed her into another hug. "Oh Javi, Kate...it's horrible...I had to examine Jenny's body...but the baby's...I just couldn't."

"So Sarah's really been killed?" Castle's face turned ashen as he thought of his own daughter. What would have happened if she had been killed as an infant? He was unsure that he could ever have moved on. His memory flashed back to when Alexis had been kidnapped. He only had an inkling on what Kevin was going through. While back then he had only his imagination to run wild, Kevin actually knew what had happened to his wife; and to his little girl. Sometimes knowing made it all the more horrible.

"I'm afraid so," Laine said, her voice trembled.

"Who would do that to a little girl?" Esposito demaned, feeling sick. "Not even to a little girl, to a baby?!"

"Where's Kevin?" Beckett had scanned the living room. Laine pointed to the kitchen.

"He's being questioned by the 10th precinct."

"Questioned?" Kate suddenly felt the need to be protective. "What kind of questions?" The look on Laine's face said it all. "They think that he did it, right?"

"What the hell, Laine?! And you let this just happen?" Shouted Esposito, fire in his eyes.

"90 percent of the time, it's the husband in these kinds of cases-Javi. If it weren't Kevin, you'd have suspected him; also," Laine reminded him. He shook his head.

"But he would _never__, _not in a million of years!..."

"I know that, Espo," Kate told one of her closest friends. "But you need to look at this like the rest of them are. They are just doing their jobs-"

"But they are doing it wrong!" Javier ignored the rest of the team as he pushed them aside and went to the kitchen. He'd be DAMNED if he'd let a bunch of strange police officers falsly accuse his best friend of such a heinous crime.

The rest followed his lead. There sat Kevin in one of his chairs. His body was hunched over, hands over his head. Blood stains were everywhere. Beckett cluched Castle's arm. Esposito stiffened.

"I'm telling you, I was WORKING at the time!" Shouted Kevin. His voice had broken. It sounded so lifeless that it nearly destroyed Kate to hear him sound like that. "I have many witnesses-"

"Are these witnesses friends of yours?"

"So what if they are?"

"Friends that would cover for you?"

"They woould never do such a thing! I would never ask them to! Because i would never do something like this! I loved my wife! I loved my baby girl! I would never-"

"I heard somewhere you've been stressing about money."

"So does every new parent."

"But maybe the pressure got to be too much. And we also learned that Jenny came from a wealthy family."

"So? She doesn't take any of her parents money. She never has-"

"Yes, but we've been looking into her will. She has your name down, as the person who gets the money her family had given her in case of an accident. Maybe during this stressful time an accident was looking pretty nice-"

"This is fucking bullshit!"The harsh language of Esposito startled them all.

"And who are you?!" The detective questioning Detective Ryan fired back at him.

"I'm Detective Ryan's partner," snapped Esposito. "And he was working a case at the precinct. Just ask our Captain. And she's NOT one to cover people's asses. Kevin is innocent, and he will NOT answer anymore questions without a lawyer-"

"Javier." Kevin's voice shook when he spoke. "I can handle-"

"Don't, Kevin. Don't answer anymroe. They are wrong to question you without an lawyer present."Esposito was seeing before had any of them seen him so furious, or Kevin so broken. But then again, nothing like this had ever happened to any of them.

The rest of the police officers finally left, after Esposito yelled at them for a good 10 minutes.

Finally it was just the team.

"Kevin." Kate lowered herself to grab his hand. "I'm so, so sorry."

"I can't even imagine what you're going through," Castle added, his own voice trembled. Kevin said nothing.

"Kev?" Esposito asked. "Come on, bro. Let's get you to the precinct, and get you a lawyer. And something to eat."

"I'm not hungry," mumbled Kevin.

"You have to take care of yoruself, sweetie," Laine said.

Kevin shook his head.

"You don't have to help me...Javi, I'm all right-really. This isn't your mess..."

"Come off it, Kev. We're partners, remember? That means we're partners till the wheels fall off." Javier reached out for the young man. And it was then that all of Kevin's strength collapsed. He fell into his best friends arms and sobbed for the family that was taken from him. Sobbed for the innocence he had lost that day, and for the life his daughter would never know.

**I know this is short, but the next chapter will be longer-I swear!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's a longer chapter, now that i have more time to write it. Thank you all for the reviews! i've had this story in my head for a long time, even though i'd hate it if they did that on the show. I just can't help but wonder how dark Kevin would go, based on some episodes where he's suprised us by seeing the "other side" of him. Warning, this chapter will have lots of swearing. **

**Chapter 2**

**Javier's POV**

The ride over was total silence. Javier kept on glancing at his best friend, intense worry in his eyes. Kevin was in the front seat, sitting up straight. But his eyes were what frightened Esposito the most. They had this sort of glazed over, dead like trance to them. But there was a hint of something else. A hint of a type of anger that scared the shit out of Javier. A type of anger he had never seen Kevin have. He had to remind himself, though, that he'd probably have that exact type of anger-maybe triple that-if something had happened to his family. And on top of it, everyone was pointing fingers at Kevin.

"Hey, Kevin..."His voice trailed off. He got no response. "You okay, man?" Dumb question, Esposito! Of course he's not okay, he just lost his whole fucking family! Javier tried again.

"Kev...I need you to say something."

"Something."

Normally that smart ass remark would have made Espo laugh. It was right up Kevin's alley to respond in such a snarky way. For someone who was as polite as Detective Ryah, his sarcastic attitude was a constant surprise to his friends and co-workers.

"Come on...I...I just need you to keep it together, okay?" He was pleading, and Javier Esposito never pleaded.

"Why?" The dullness scared him shitless.

"Because, there's people who still need you-"

"Who?" Kevin sounded angry. No,wait, he sounded _livid_. "My daughter should need me, but now she can't. Do you know why that is, Javi?"

"Don't, Kevin..." Javier felt sick to his stomach at the thought of Sarah Grace being killed. That poor, innocent, baby girl. And Jenny...if Jenny had to see that...or Sarah seeing her mouther get shot...either way...he tightened the grip against the wheel.

"It's become some Goddamned sonofabitch fucking asshole shot her! Who does that?! She was just a baby for God's sake! And no, it's not even a sonofabitch. A _monster _did this to her. To her,and Jenny. This monster fucking killed them both. So they no longer need me. No one does, but that's okay. Because I'm going to catch the sick fuck. I'm going to catch him, and kill him myself. Then you can ask me if I'm okay. I'll have a different response for you then."

Total, and utter silence. Except for Kevin who huffed in and out at a furious pace.

Javier Esposito was shocked. No, stunned was more like it. Disbelief filled him. Never in his years working with Detective Ryan had he heard Kevin utter such words. In fact he used to joke about Kevin being too much of a saint to swear.

Just how broken had his partner become?

And that talk on killing the murderer. He understand that anger, and wanted to kill the fucker also. But still...to hear Kevin talk like that broke him. It was then that he realized while he wanted his partner back, he'll never get the old Kevin Ryan back.

His other thought was _I need you_, but he was unsure of how Kevin would respond to that. So he responded the only way he thought Kevin would appreciate.

"I'm with you, buddy, just remember matter what, I'm with you. And I'll help catch the sonofabitch and fry him, too."

Kevin gave a sideways glance of surprise.

"Thanks."

Nothing else was said, or needed to be said. They drove to the precinct, both of them only sure of one thing. That neither would ever be the same again.

**Kevin's Pov**

He felt...he didn't know what he felt. The part of him that felt like he was dead terrified him. So he shifted back to the other part of part that saw intense rage. A type of rage he had only witnesses through murder cases, or read about.

His thoughts become two words. Jenny, Jenny, Jenny. Sarah, Sarah, Sarah...

More thoughts had crept in. Dark, and almost evil thoughts.

He wanted to catch whover could do this to innocent people. He wanted to catch them, and to kill that fucker. He wanted...He wanted his Jenny, and his baby girl back...And there was Javi, asking him if he was okay. Was Javier SERIOUS? Did he really just ask that? So that got Kevin more livid. He thoought his partner undestood what was going on, but apparently not.

Still...he felt a little bad for that outburst. He could see the shock on Javi's face He had rarely ever used language like that in all of his years. Catholic school scared the swearing out of him.

But this time, he didn't care about holding back. Why should he? And he meant what he said. He never had the experience of wanting to actually KILL someone...but now he could actually picture himself strangling that monster's neck.

And it didn't scare him. To him that was better than feeling dead. Feeling dead, meant he hsould be dead. It meant that he had no purpose. He could kill himself, and be with his family again.

The thought was very, very tempting. Which is why he leaned towards the furious side of him. The seething, seeing red side. That side kept him going, kept him a little sane-in his own way.

And he wanted justice, justice for his family.

Justice first, then he'd be able to think clearly.

Espo's response startled him, for some reason. And it moved him, and made him feel guilty. He didn't want to have to drag his partner into all of this. But at the same time, it was nice not to be alone.

So as they drove on in silence he began to plot his revenge...

**I was REALLY neverous about this chapter, getting inside of their heads during such a horrific time period. I hope I did an okay job at getting it right!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for the reviews! I'm kind of excited about this story, in a twisted kind of way.**

**Kate's POV**

She stood in the mirror that entered the morgue. Laine was rubbing Kevin's back as they stood over the slabs that held both Jenny, and Sarah Grace.

"Jesus," Castle said next to her. "If that were you and Alexis..." He visibly shuddered.

"Where's Esposito?" He then asked. She swallowed, and looked at him.

"What?"

"Espo, where is he?"

"Oh,um...going over suspects files, I think. Trying to find the sonofabitch who did this to Kevin's family."

Castle nodded.

Kate continued to stare.

How could someone as innocent as Kevin have something so..._heainous _happen to him? It wasn't fair! Her mother's murder wasn't fair, but Jenny's and Sarah Grace's especially weren't. To see Kevin's innocence so shattered, to see him so _broken _destroyed her. But it also had made her angry.

She felt like Esposito.

She wanted to find the fuckers that did this.

Find the fuckers and have them burned to the ground.

Laine escused herself from the moruge and went and stood next to her.

"He wanted some privacy to say goodbye."

They watched Kevin run his fingers through the baby's hair. And kiss both their forheads. Kate turned. It was too painful to watch.

"Oh, Kate, it was so hard." Laine shook her head. "I've dealt with bodies...but children always got to me. And little Sarah Grace's...I just...and Jenny. What did Jenny ever do to deserve this?"

"Nothing,"insisted Castle. "This was because of Kevin's past. That much I'm sure of."

Kate nodded.

"Me, too."

She turned partly in time to see Kevin's shoulders shake as he sobbed. That was all it took to her.

"Uh,oh." Laine stared at her best friend. "Kate, I've seen that look on your face before. That fire."

"Me, too." Castle also gave her a worried look.

She ignored them both, and started walking.

"Kate? Where are you going?!" Laine called as both she, and Castle, raced after her.

"I'm going to find Esposito. And then I'm going to help him find the twisted sick fucks that did this to one of our own. I'm going to find them, and then I'm going to _bury_ them."   
><span>

Nothing more was needed to be said. Her friends were all too aware how emotionally invested, sometimes obsessed she got when it inovlved personal cases. Cases like her mother's, and Captain Montgomery's.

She felt nothing but anger.

Kevin didn't deserve this. Hell, NONE Of them did. And now he was the prime suspect! She had to make sure he got off. He _couldn't _go to jail for something he didn't do. She wouldn't let them take him away.

She saw Javi as he poured over files. Her heart ached for one of her closest friends, and for Kevin's partner. Beckett could only guess how Javier-who felt anger so often-was feeling now.

"Javi."

He barely glanced up.

"Don't tell me to stop, Kate. I'm not gonna stop. Not until we find the sick perp, or perps, who did this to Kev's family."

"I know," her voice was simple, and direct. "I want to help," she added.

Castle and Laine glanced at each other.

"Me, too," Castle added and Laine nodded.

"So do I."

A fourth voice then startled them.

"Count me in." It was Captain Gates. They all looked at her, somewhat stunned.

"Detective Ryan is one of of our own," she told them firmly. "And one of the best people I have working for me. I may be hard on him, but i know the kind of man he really is. He would never do this to his family. We need to bring justice for his family. And for himself. So again, count me in."

Javier slowly nodded. And Kate warmed up to Gates. Maybe she wasn't such a bad Captain, afterall. This was something Montgomery would have done.

They all sat and began to look at the files, determiend that one of their own would not go to jail. That justice would be offically served.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you for the reviews! They really mean a lot to me!**

**Kevin's POV**

He stared at the bodies of his wife and daughter. He touched their cold cheeks.

"Goodbye, Jenny...I'm so sorry. And Sarah Grace..my little princess. I'm so sorry. Daddy's so sorry."

Tears unashamedly cascaded down his cheeks. He gave great shuddering gasps. These feelings, they were too painful. Too raw, and too real.

He couldn't deal with them.

Detective Ryan gave deep, and slow, breaths while he kept his eyes closed. Then they opened. And instead of feeling a powerful, and overwhelming-almost all consuming-grief that he couldn't handle he experienced something else. An overwhelming, all consuming, rage.

Rage that was bottled inside of him, and threatened to explode.

Yes, this he could control. This he could allow himself to feel.

He pictured his hands around the killers necks, and he felt a sense of peace almost. A europhic feeling washed over him. Yes, this was what he must do now. He must catch the killer, and kill the sonofabitch himself. No amount of jailtime would be justice enough for the pain this fucker caused him. Him and his family.

His hands gripped against the cold metal as he kissed his baby girl, and his wife, one last time.

"I'll catch the bastard who did this to our little one, sweetie," he whispered to Jenny. He brushed her hair to make it perfect, and kissed her forehead. Then he kissed Sarah Grace's. "I promise."

WIth that he left, his hand on his holster.

He noticed his other family glance up as he walked past them.

"Kevin? Kevin, where are you going?" Javier raced to him, panic in his eyes.

"Where do you think, Javi?"

"No, Kev, you're not thinking clearly."

"Don't stop me, Espo, just don't." Kevin could tell the others were startled by this reaction.

"Kevin," Kate pleaded. "Listen to Esposito...you don't need to go after the fucker. We're doing that for you. We all want your name cleared..."

"Do you think I give a damn about my name being cleared right now, Kate?!" He cried out.

"Hey, watch it!" Castle snapped. "I know you're upset, but you don't need to take it out on us. We're only trying to help...

"They don't!"

"I'm not going to let you throw your life away!"Javier shouted, looking as helpless as he sounded.

"Why not?" Kevin demanded. "What's there for me now? My career? To hell with my career! If i wasn't working a double shift I would have been home, I would have..."

"You would have been killed, too," Beckett said, trying to talk logic into the young man. But Kevin was refusing to see logic. He was seeing red, and only red.

"No, I could have stopped him...even I was, better me than them! I could have taken him out, him and me. And they would have been safe!"

"You don't know that, Kevin," Laine said in her soft, and kind, voice.

"Well, I know for a fact I would have killed the asshole before he laid one Goddamned finger on either of them." He was seething. No, he was more than that. He was _livid_. He had only have heard this type of anger while dealing with some heanious crimes in the past. But never had he experiened it himself. He kind of liked it. It was better than that other feeling.

"Detetive Ryan, step into my office." Gates voice was cold, and commanding. He frowned, thinking of disobeying.

"No," he finally said. They all stared at him. "Fire me, I don't care. But you can't stop me from catching the sonofabitch."

"Fine," sighed Gates. "I'm doing this for your own good-"

"The hell you are, " snorted Kevin. "You just don't want another lawsuit on your hand."

He watched Gates catch her breath, and instantly regretted what he said. He didn't really want to lose his job. But he was on a path of revenge that he just couldn't stop.

"I can't stop you from walking out of here Detective Ryan, and breaking laws to find the perp. But I can stop you from using us to help you do it. Please hand over your badge, and your weapon." Gasps were heard around them.

"But, sir," said Beckett.

Gates put her hand in the air.

"I'm doing this for your own good. Detective Ryan, you are on temeporary suspension with pay."

Kevin sucked in his breath, letting the shock rush through him. But it was as if he was possessed, and couldn't stop it.

"Fine." He slammed both his weapon, and his badge, on the desk. "But I don't need a gun to kill someone, Captain Gates."

Gates closed her eyes.

"I really wish you hadn't said that, Mr. Ryan."

It felt weird, the Mr. Ryan-instead of Detective. He didn't like it. And he didn't like how Gates was reacting.

"Why?" He all but snarled. Javier was shaking his head at him, but he didn't care. He didn't care about anything.

"I can't let you walk out of here, a danger to society."

"I'm only a danger to one person," he snapped.

"Yes, but I can't let a potiental killer out on the streets, knowingly. No matter who he is."

"Captain?" Castle asked, with a frown. "I know Kevin is angry, but I don't think he would-"

"Oh, he would all right. I know, for I would if I were in his shoes." Gates stared at the young man, sorrow and understanding in her eyes; mixed with pity. "That's why it pains me to have to do this."

"Do what?" Javier asked, clearly on the edge. Gates got a pair of handcuffs out. Laine gasped and Beckett's eyes widened. So did Javier's, and Castle's.

"Sir, surely..." Kate started to say, but Gates put her hand up in the air to stop her from continuing.

"Mr. Ryan, you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent." Ryan felt dizzy as the Miranda rights that he read to so many others were being read to him. Gates finished-in a kinder tone- "I'm not putting you in the main jail. Just one of the holding cells. Until you cool off. We'll keep you safe. I just need to protect you from doing something you'll regret."

She started to lead him to the cell, but Javier interrupted.

"I'll take him."

Kevin still would not speak. He remainded slumped, and sullen. In shock of the injustice of everything.

He wouldn't regret anything. Unless he couldn't squeeze the life out of that monster's hand himself.

Javier was silent on the way to the hold cell.

"Here, man, let me take these cuffs off of you," he said.

"Don't do yourself any favors," snapped Kevin. "I know this is so you'll feel less guilty."

"I don't feel guilty."

The response startled Kevin.

"What?"

"I feel sad. Sad that it's come to this, but not guilty. Gates was right. It's against the law to set you on the streets,knowing that you could kill someone. You're a potiental perp. We can't let that slide, no matter what the circumstances are."

He uncuffed Kevin, and Kevin walked into the tiny cell.

"I'll go back, and get you some clean clothes," said Javier kindly. "And some books, and magazines. Do you want...pictures of them?"

Kevin just shook his head, now totally at loss for words.

It felt so weird, and so wrong to be on the other side of those bars. To have Javier look at him with intense pity. He hated seeing his best friend pity him like that.

"Why are you doing this, Javi?" He sounded so sad, like a little kid. Broken of his innocence, and trust.

"Because I promised your wife the first day I met her that I would keep you safe while we were on the streets. And I intend to keep that promise."

The two partners locked eyes before Javier walked away, a silent understanding passed between them.

Even if Kevin couldn't go out and catch the killer that did't mean that Esposito wouldn't be able to.

And Kevin knew that Esposito wouldn't stop until the sick perp was caught, or better yet-killed.

WIth his thoughts suddenly switching to his wife and baby girl-and how they looked in the morgue-Kevin sat down on the solitary bench and started to sob; really grieving for the first time.

**I really hope this chapter was all right! I'm trying to make it as realistic as possible, and because of that I just don't think Gates would be able to let one of their own go if she thought they were going to kill someone. I'm not sure if it's against the law, but I'm sure she'd be forced to intervene. **


End file.
